Badara

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DEFENSE MINISTRY BUYING CLOSE SUPPORT AIRCRAFT

At a meeting held in the Defense Ministry offices in Bier Kassem, Defense Minister Mustapha al Jabbar announced to senior Ministry managers and the chiefs of staff of the armed services and their senior staff that the Ministry will be purchasing 100 of the A - 10 close support aircraft being developed by the aircraft firm New Dawn. The cost of the purchase will be 130 million BDR per aircraft. The funds for this project have been budgeted.

The Defense Minister emphasized that Badara will always use diplomacy to make military confrontation unnecessary; however, it would be foolish not to have a Plan B in these uncertain times. The aircraft will be assigned to a special command of the Air Force ready to assist the Army in repelling any invasion as it comes ashore when the tanks and other armored vehicles are most vulnerable to the armament of the A - 10's. It is likely the special command will also be used for scouting patrols to detect any any naval vessels or invasion force.

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TRADE WITH LIKATONIA BEGINS

With the agreement for free trade in place between Likatonia and Badara, the Likatonian Trading Company has begun shipping between the port of Anahi in Likatonia and the port of Ras el-Haram in the province of Marakesh. The Foreign Ministry has noted that because of various treaties in place there are now 11 nations with trading agreements with Badara and two nations, one of which is Likatonia, that have investment arrangements. Sailors from the Likatonian Trading Company for the next year will receive a free meal at the hotel buffet in the Dromedary Hotel and Casino in Ras el-Haram as well as 400 BDR for gambling in the casino.

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NEW WATER TOWERS IN RAS EL-HARAM DEDICATED

Finance Minister Ivrahim ben-Bella congratulated the Mayor of Ras el-Haram and Utility Structures Unlimited (USU) on early completion of the water towers and revamping of the entire water system of Ras el- Haram noting that while the water system of the city had been not much beyond the ancient aqueducts, no one on Terra would now have cause to complain about the quality of the new water system.

Mayor Yusef el-Ahmad thanked Dr. ben-Bella for joining in the dedication and for establishing the new business loan program that made the funds available to USU for early completion of the project. The Finance Minister explained that the loan funds were appropriated funds for the Ministries of Trade and Industry and Infrastructure and Transport which are handled through the Central Bank with applications available at local privately owned banks. The initial focus of the loan program will be for businesses in manufacturing and construction of agricultural equipment and processing structures, in utilities that are now privately owned and in other businesses formerly publicly owned particularly textiles and housing materials.

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WORK BEGINS ON DESALINATION

At the National Institute of Technology, Salman ben-Yusuf, CEO of Utility Structures Unlimited (USU), appeared with Interim Vice President Ishmael Duqaq to announce that the Engineering Department will be working with USU to develop desalination plant plans which are to be implemented by building plants on both islands. Ben- Yusuf explained this move is meant to be a guarantee of a supply of water in the future as more and more people are consuming fresh water and problems develop as they will.

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LOAN TO NIT AND USU APPROVED

At a training meeting at Central Bank Headquarters in Bier Qassem for Central Bank loan specialists, Finance Minister Ivrahim ben-Bella announced that a loan had been approved by the government for the development of a desalination plant on the coast of the island of Nashwa in the province of Al'Samainia using funds appropriated for the Ministry of Science and Technology and for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The National Institute of Technology (NIT) believes it can reduce the waste product and brine so that the project is environmentally sound while Utilities Structures Unlimited (USU) believes that a service area can be selected which will be profitable but not uneconomical for consumption by the public. Ben- Bella stated those claims had been carefully examined by the Central Bank before approval of the loan.

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Behesti and Armed Service Academy Staffs

ARMED SERVICES TRAINING TO BE REVISED

Defense Minister Achmed Beheshti and Defense Command Chief Karim al-Khodr met with senior faculty members of the three service academies to discuss some curriculum changes at the Air College outside Al-e-Ahmad City. Most notable was the elimination of the best known works of Brigadier Percy Bysshe Fetherstonehaugh, Nuke 'Em Til They Glow, To the Very Last One of Their Name, and Exterminate, Exterminate. General al-Khodr was sympathetic to those wishing to retain accurate detailed historical battle accounts particular of battles from Artania and Seleya which he did not rule out; it was the philosophical approach that needs to be replaced.

General al-Khodr also conceded that the historical accounts of naval disasters and their historical diplomatic and political consequences could still be taught at the Naval College. As a philosophical work to be used by all academies General al-Khodr directed attention to Zashchishchaya Nashi Ostrova by Kontr - Admiral Lazar Moseievich Polyanskii. This work is philosophically very much in keeping with the defense strategy of the Republic of Bbadara.

Defense Minister Beheshti reminded the academy staff of the four corners of the strategy. First is intelligence; military intelligence as to size and deployment of potential enemy forces, and traditional espionage as to intentions and plans of dangerous powers. The second is diplomacy, the most economical way to protect the nation. Third is a rapid military response to attack the most likely form of which would be an invasion. Fourth is preventing insurrection recognizing transition to a mixed economy and religious freedom does not please everyone. Beheshti said this is the task of the civilian ministries but that he can vouch of the untiring efforts of the President to see that the transition does not create pockets of poverty or injustice.

General al-Khodr asked for full cooperation of the academy faculties.
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MINISTRY MAKES GRANT FOR PRODUCING BIO BUS

The Minister of Science and Technology Hassan ben-Canaan announced a grant to the Engineering Department of the Majatran University of Badara in Bier Qassem and the Dromedary Hotel and Casino in Ras el-Haram to refit buses to travel on methane gas produced from waste products available in Bier Kassem from its sanitation system through arrangements made by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

The buses would run between the airport in Bier Qassem to the hotel in Ras el-Haram. The problem of keeping the gas supplied to the buses seems to have been solved by creating a fueling station at the hotel as well as the sanitation works.

The buses will produce 20 - 30% less carbon dioxide than diesel engines and 80 % less nitrogen oxides as well as substantially less particulates. One tank of gas will have range of roughly 300 kilometers.

Should this prove to be a successful venture, the Bactrian Hotel and Casino in Dar as Salam is expected to be the next route from Bier Qassem Airport.

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Minister of Science and Technology Hassan ben-Canaan

DELEGATION TO ATTEND GREAT TECHNOLOGY EXPOSITION IN ISTALIA

Science and Technology Minister Hassan ben-Canaan announced a delegation led by Chancellor ibn Ortoq would go to the technology exposition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Istalian Empire. The Ministry is preparing for a pavilion at least featuring fueling a biobus, a model and demonstration of desalination and use of combat optical sighting developed by the Ground Forces Weaponry Development Facility operating out of the National Institute of Technology.

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People's Assembly, Jumhuriat al-Badara

PEOPLE"S ASSEMBLY DEBATES MISSIONARY ACCESS

President Ishmael Duqaq asked the People's Assembly to debate whether to reimpose the ban on foreign missionaries that was in place under the People's Democracy government during the recent socialist era.

Mister of Justice Rohana Qahtani in addressing the current law stated that Free Radicals recognized freedom of religion as an ideal; but that Free Radicals are not ideologues; and it is quite possible that protecting freedom of religion in Badara which is within our capacity is more important than upholding an international ideal over which we have no influence.

Minister of Education and Culture Mustapha al Jabbar reminded the legislature that during the brief ascendancy of the Pro Slavery Party that under the banner of secularization religious schools and religious garb were outright banned thereby undermining the religious rights of our Ahmadi population and our Hosian population adhering to the Apostolic Church of the Isles. He further noted we always have ongoing religious tension between the Israi and Abadi branches of the Ahmadi religion and that secularization of the government was hardly universally popular.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabriiqa Soqman stated on the basis of international news and intelligence that a reasonable conclusion is that religious politicians bring far more violence, division and hate than love, kindness and human understanding to Terra. She did note that if foreign missionaries were banned that would only apply to applicants not already approved and would not apply to any clergy that were part of the Hosian refuges from Lodamun being transported for relocation in Badara.

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Food and Agriculture Minister Benasir ben-Hadad at Equipment Fair


REVERSE ENGINEERING AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT?

On a visit to the Agrictural Equipment Fair in Al'Fostat, Food and Agriculture Minister Benasir ben-Hadad stated that she saw no reason the nation could not produce all the farm equipment and agriculture and fishery processing equipment necessary to service the large scale fishing industry and coastally confined farming operations which are successfully feeding the population. She also announced the Ministry had funds available for loans to start up agribusiness operations and were reviewing legislation with the Ministry of Justice that might hinder such businesses.

Ben-Hadad further announced the Education and Culture Ministry, the National Institute of Technology and Majatran University of Badara were looking into forming a reverse engineering curriculum and faculty and that farm equipment would be an easy subject for that effort. She noted that with trade agreements in place we were trading in some fashion with 21 other nations and it is reasonable to assume some of those nations had equipment superior to that of Badara.